Absence leave due to weddings, deaths, and illnesses. - Grants for Time Off Due to Marriage, Funeral, or Illness
All About Special Leave: Navigating Time Off for Personal and Family Matters in Germany
By: Nina Jerzy | + - 3 Min Read
Whether you're dealing with a family emergency or planning a joyous life event, understanding special leave can help you manage your work and personal life more effectively. This guide explains the ins and outs of special leave and how employees in Germany can take advantage of this benefit.
Not Just For Dramatic Moments
Special leave often comes to mind when considering dramatic situations, such as death in the family or a loved one's wedding. However, it's also applicable for a wide range of circumstances, both joyful and mundane. And the best part? There's no upper limit on the number of days you can take special leave each year.
Till Bender, a lawyer from DGB Rechtsschutz GmbH, explains, "Special leave is provided by law for special family events and personal misfortunes. When such situations arise, special leave is paid."
When is Special Leave Available?
Court rulings have established various scenarios under which employees can take special leave:
- Personal Events: This might include your own wedding, the weddings of children or parents, a golden wedding anniversary for parents, childbirth for a wife, and doctor's appointments.
- Family Funerals: Employees can take special leave to attend funerals for immediate family members.
- Emergencies: Special leave can be taken during unforeseen situations like burglaries, fires, or non-faulty traffic accidents.
Duration of Special Leave
The duration of special leave depends on the specific circumstances and the employer's policies. For instance, a few hours off might be sufficient for a doctor's appointment, while family events usually warrant the entire day of the event. In most cases, the maximum duration per event is around seven to ten days.
Care for Sick Children and Dependents
Special leave is available for employees who need to care for a sick child or dependent relative. In such cases, it's advisable to use special leave before receiving child sick pay, as the full salary is paid during special leave, while child sick pay is usually 90% of the wage, capped at €120.75 (approximately the equivalent of a monthly salary of around €3,000).
Moreover, employees can claim a maximum of 15 days per year per parent, or 30 days for single parents, from their health insurance for caring for a dependent relative in an acute situation.
Care Time Act
The Care Time Act allows employees up to ten days of paid special leave to care for a dependent relative in an acute situation. Close relatives include grandparents, parents, in-laws, step-parents, spouses, partners, siblings, their spouses, grandchildren, children, adopted or foster children (own or partner's).
Voluntary Activities
Special leave can also be granted for some voluntary activities. Bender advises, "For people who are strongly involved for charitable-family reasons or due to other commitments to society, it is definitely worth inquiring about possible leave."
Certain activities might qualify for paid leave, including educational leave, voluntary activities, civic duties, job applications, and prayers. However, this depends on the individual case.
Notifying Your Employer
In emergency situations, a phone call to your employer is usually sufficient. For other circumstances, informing your employer as early as possible is essential, allowing them to arrange a replacement if necessary.
Proof and Payment
For doctor's appointments, simply informing your employer or showing them a practice appointment card is usually enough. However, in suspicious cases, a medical certificate or a letter from the doctor might be required.
In the case of non-faulty traffic accidents, your employer has the right to request police documents or correspondence with the insurance. If the accident was your fault, the already paid wages can be recovered.
Unlike sick leave, the duration of special leave is not fundamentally limited.
In conclusion, special leave offers flexible options for employees to manage their personal and family needs. It's essential to understand your employer's policies and any applicable collective agreements to make the most of this benefit.
- Employees in Germany can utilize special leave benefits not only for extraordinary moments like family funerals or weddings, but also for various personal and family events, such as doctor's appointments, personal weddings, or the birth of a child.
- When it comes to managing finances, taking special leave, which is paid by the employer, can be beneficial compared to receiving child sick pay, as the full salary is usually paid during special leave, whereas child sick pay is capped at around €120.75 (equivalent to a monthly salary of around €3,000).
